


Life with Uncle Padfoot

by ginervamariechaseeverdeen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, F/M, Gen, Hogwarts, Marauders, Moony - Freeform, No Slash, Padfoot - Freeform, Prongs - Freeform, Rewrite, Ron and Hermione will show up eventually, Sirius & Remus brotp, Wormtail - Freeform, daddy Sirius
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2015-07-17
Packaged: 2018-04-09 20:38:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4363391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginervamariechaseeverdeen/pseuds/ginervamariechaseeverdeen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would Harry's life have been like if Sirius had raised him rather than the dreadful Dursleys? It would have been a thousand times better, of course. Magic is commonplace, and mischief is almost never managed. Life is hard, especially for "The Boy who Lived", but with his Uncle Padfoot and friends by his side, Harry can face anything, even Voldemort. AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story starts on a certain Halloween, so if you're a hard core Jily shipper, you may want to grab some tissues, especially since I teared up just writing it.

Sirius Black knew that something was wrong when he arrived to check on his friend Peter Pettigrew that Halloween night. He was supposed to be hiding out in a muggle neighbourhood in Bristol, but when Sirius arrived at the house, it was empty and abandoned. It was obvious that no one had been there for days, and that alone worried Sirius the most. There were enchantments on the house that would indicate if someone had broken in, but all signs indicated that Peter had walked out of his own volition. They all knew there was a traitor in their midst, but he would have never guessed that it was Wormtail.

            “Homenum Revelio,” Sirius muttered with a little flick of his wand.

            Nothing happened.

            “Bugger,” he muttered, and dashed outside and mounting a motorcycle that was waiting in front of the house.

            Seconds later, he was in the air, flying through the night, not bothering much to stay in the cloud cover. He had bigger worries at the moment than being seen by muggle children out trick-or-treating.

            When he arrived at Godric’s Hollow, Sirius saw the worst sight imaginable. The cottage was practically demolished and completely visible. His stomach dropped. He was too late. They were gone. For a moment, his spirits lifted as he saw a figure emerging from the debris, but as he landed, he realised that this person was definitely male and much too big to be James. It was Hagrid.

            The second the bike touched the ground, Sirius leaped off and dashed desperately towards the house and into the ruins.

            “James! Lily! Harry! Prongs?” he cried out as he frantically searched through the wreckage.

            When he entered where the living room used to be, he was confronted with the last thing he ever wanted to see. The lifeless body of his best friend and brother by everything but blood lying on the ground.

            “No!” he screamed, falling to his knees. After a moment, a large hand dropped onto his shoulder.

            “It’s horrible ain’t it?” Hagrid’s voice announced, trembling.

            “Why? Why them?” Sirius sobbed.

            “Don’t know,” Hagrid sniffled.

            “W-wait, what about Lily and Harry? Not them too,” he forced out, still staring at James’s body in shock.

            “He got Lily too,” Hagrid managed to say.

            “Wh-where is she?” he asked, choking back a sob.

            “Upstairs, in the nursery,” was all Hagrid said before Sirius tore himself away from where James lay and dashed upstairs only to fall to his knees again at the sight of Lily’s body sprawled on the floor of Harry’s nursery.

            He managed to lift his gaze to the empty crib in the room, snapping him out of his shock momentarily.

            “Hagrid, where’s Harry?” he screamed down the stairs. “He’s not here! They must have taken him! We have to go!” he continued to scream, dashing down the stairs and towards where the door used to stand.

            “Sirius, wait!” Hagrid called just as the bundle, which Sirius had not seen in Hagrid’s arms, began to cry. “He’s righ’ here,” Hagrid explained over the cries.

            “Oh Harry,” Sirius sobbed and rushed forward to take the bundle from Hagrid. “Hey Prongslet, it’s me, Uncle Padfoot. Shhh,” Sirius said to the little baby still in Hagrid’s arms.

            The crying stopped almost immediately.

            “Let me have him Hagrid. I’m his godfather,” Sirius insisted.

            “Order’s from Dumbledore. I’m ter bring him ter number 4 Privet Drive in Surrey,” Hagrid explained.

            “Fine, then let me come,” Sirius pleaded.

            “I dunno,” Hagrid started to say.

            “Please,” Sirius begged. “You can even hold him and take my bike. Just let me come! I can’t leave him,” Sirius sobbed out.

            “Oh I guess so. Come along then,” Hagrid said, mounting the nearby motorcycle with baby Harry still in his arms.

            “What about the bodies?” Sirius asked bluntly.

            “Someone from the Order is comin’ along ter get ‘em. Moody I think,” Hagrid told him. “Now if you’re comin’, get on.”

            Sirius barely fit on the bike behind Hagrid, but he did his best and held on tight. They took off and soared into the night sky. As they flew over Bristol, Harry fell asleep, and Sirius realised that he would have to explain and prove to Dumbledore that he wasn’t the secret keeper. Until then, Dumbledore would believe that he, and not Pettigrew, was the traitor responsible for the deaths of two of his best friends.

            Despite the fact that Sirius had seen their bodies, it was still difficult for him to believe that they really were gone and that Peter had betrayed them all. If anyone, he thought maybe Remus, a thought that he was now ashamed of, but he never suspected Peter. It was terrible. This war was ruining their lives. The only thing even partially holding Sirius together was the fact that Harry was alive. He didn’t know how or why, but thankfully he was.

            Flying the bike to Surrey rather than apparating took much longer, but since apparition wasn’t good for babies and Hagrid couldn’t anyway, it was a necessity. Therefore, it wasn’t until the next night that they finally arrived in Surrey. Harry, exhausted from the previous day’s events, had slept most of the trip. They landed on a little street full of identical houses. All the streetlights were out but two figures could be made out standing in front of one of the houses.

            “Ah, Hagrid, how are you?” Dumbledore asked as they approached.

            “Got ‘im right here sir,” Hagrid said. “Young Sirius Black insisted he come too,” he added as Sirius’s form appeared from behind Hagrid.

            “Sirius,” Dumbledore said drawing his wand yet still extremely calm, “I am going to have to ask you to please hand me your wand.”

            Immediately, Sirius did as Dumbledore asked before beginning to speak. “I swear it wasn’t me. I convinced them to switch to Peter at the last moment. I thought no one would expect… but he was… and now they’re dead … you can’t take Harry… my responsibility… all my fault…” he sobbed.

            “Albus, maybe this is not the place for this conversation. He’ll wake the muggles with all the racket he’s making,” Minerva McGonagall suggested as Sirius fell to his knees still sobbing out apologies and explanations.

            “I quite agree,” Dumbledore said over the loud cries. “Hagrid, if you would so kindly take Mr. Black’s bike and bring Harry to Hogwarts, I will accompany Sirius to my office. Minerva, if you would meet us there please. And Hagrid, when you arrive, please take Harry to Madame Pomfrey to be checked for any injuries,” Dumbledore told them calmly.

            “Yessir,” Hagrid said, gently carrying Harry back to the bike and flying away.

            Professor McGonagall dissaparated with a loud crack seconds later, and then Dumbledore turned to Sirius who was still crying, having finally broken down.

            “Sirius, if you will please pick up your wand and take my arm, I will side-along you to Hogwarts,” Dumbledore told him.

            Sirius wordlessly picked up his wand and did as he was told. With a twist they were off, never to see number four Privet Drive again. Like always, it felt as if he were being squeezed through a very tight tube, but at the moment Sirius couldn’t bring himself to care. Moments later, they appeared outside the gate at Hogwarts where the caretaker, Argus Filch was waiting for them.

            “Headmaster,” Filch said as he opened the gate.

            “Thank you Argus. Hagrid should be arriving at some time tonight. He will not need you to open the gate for him however. Has Professor McGonagall returned yet?” Dumbledore asked.

            “Yes sir. She arrived a minute before you did.”

            “Thank you,” Dumbledore said again, guiding Sirius along with him.

            Filch closed the gate behind them, giving Sirius a nasty look. Having any part of the Marauders back in the school couldn’t be a good thing in his opinion.

            Dumbledore led Sirius up to the gargoyle that served as the entrance to his office where Professor McGonagall was waiting for them.

            “Minerva, would you please alert Poppy of Harry’s impending arrival. I need to have a conversation with Sirius,” Dumbledore told her.

            “Of course,” she said briskly before heading back down the hall from which they had just come.

            “Sherbet Lemon,” Dumbledore declared to the gargoyle, causing it to reveal stairs to his office. “Come along,” he said to Sirius who was still standing at the bottom as he started to ascend.

            At the top of the staircase was a room filled with bookshelves, tables holding shiny gadgets of every type, portraits of past headmasters, and most notably a grand looking phoenix. Dumbledore, before taking a seat at his desk, pulled out his wand and wordlessly conjured a plush armchair for Sirius who plopped down into it the second it appeared. He was exhausted from all the events that had gone down in the last two days and would love to sleep, but right then he needed to explain himself.

            “Sirius, from what I was able to make out from your babbling at Privet Drive, I understand that you claim that James and Lily switched secret keepers without informing me. Because of the fact that you are here and Harry remains unharmed, I am willing to hear you out, only however, if you consent to taking veritaserum.

            “Anything,” Sirius rasped out.

“Alright then,” Dumbledore said before wordlessly summoning a bottle. “Would you like some tea to take it with?”

            “Just give it to me,” Sirius insisted, taking the proffered bottle, popping out the cork, and taking a sip before returning it to Dumbledore’s hand. He wanted to get this over with.  

            “Are you Sirius Black?” Dumbledore asked to confirm that the potion was working.

            “Yes,” Sirius responded curtly.

“Were you James and Lily Potter’s secret keeper?" Dumbledore asked calmly.           "No, I convinced them to switch to Peter Pettigrew because no one would expect it. I never would have guessed that the little rat was the traitor," Sirius stated, muttering the last half.  

“Now, why were you at Godric’s Hollow tonight?” Dumbledore then asked.  

"I was going to check in on Peter, but he wasn't where he was supposed to be and it was clear that he left without a struggle," Sirius explained. "I was worried and went to go warn James and Lily, but when I got there it was too late," he choked out, his words becoming sobs.

"I see," was Dumbledore's only reply.  

"No you don't!" Sirius shouted at him. "My best friends are dead because I convinced them to trust the traitor! I came up with the plan to put our trust in that prat! If I had just been the secret keeper none of this would have happened! It's all my fault, and you can't possibly understand!" he half yelled half sobbed.  

"As it may be Sirius, I know plenty about making bad plans. However it is not your fault. You couldn't have known that Peter was the traitor," Dumbledore stated.            "I should have seen it! I was beginning to suspect Remus, of all people, when in reality it was the one person I was so sure it wasn't! You know what, I'm going to find him and kill him. He deserves to die for what he did," Sirius announced furiously, standing and clutching his wand.

 "Now be reasonable!" Dumbledore cautioned.

 "I am!" Sirius growled. "He all but killed them himself and I will find him." 

"Sirius," Dumbledore said loudly and sternly, causing Sirius to pause his ranting, "you have Harry to think about. Earlier, you seemed quite eager to fulfill your role as godfather. If I am mistaken though, he can go live with his aunt and uncle as previously planned." 

"No, no I want him! Harry cannot be forced to live with Lily's horrid sister and her whale of a husband," he declared.

 "Well then you can't be in Azkaban for murder and take care of Harry at the same time," Dumbledore said, overlooking the rude comments about the Dursleys.

 "I guess you're right," Sirius muttered, sinking back into the chair.  

"Yes, now, would you like to know what happened last night?"  

"Please," whispered Sirius.  "You already know of course that Mr. Pettigrew betrayed their location to Voldemort. From what I have been able to determine, along with the rest of the wizarding world, Voldemort came with the intent to kill James, Lily, and especially Harry. He succeeded with James and Lily as you know, and from what Alastor has told me, by the placement of the bodies and some sensory charms he preformed, we can deduce that James was killed first, and Lily was attempting to protect Harry upstairs. After killing them, Voldemort proceeded to try and kill Harry. However, for reasons I am not yet completely sure of, the curse rebounded. Voldemort lost his power, and for now he is gone. I do not expect him to return anytime soon, however I do not believe, as many do, that he is dead. And as of now, that is all I know," Dumbledore explained.  

Before Sirius could reply, an eagle patronus flew in and announced in a voice Sirius recognized as belonging to Madame Pomfrey, "The child is fine. There are no injuries other than a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. He is sleeping now." After it finished speaking, the patronus faded away.  

“So Harry really is the kid from the prophecy," Sirius mused. "But how? Voldemort stopped by a baby? It makes no sense."

“I know that this is all very confusing, however right now, we have something more important on our hands. Would you and Harry like to stay at the castle tonight? I imagine you must be quite tired after the night you’ve had. We can leave discussing the future to tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that would be great,” Sirius replied.

“Alright, then I recommend we go fetch Harry from the hospital wing. You can stay in Gryffindor tower tonight if you wish or I can make other accommodations for you.”

“That will be fine. I can just transfigure a cot for Harry,” Sirius yawned as he stood up.

Dumbledore followed suit and the two of them walked silently to the Hospital Wing until Sirius remembered something he had forgotten to ask earlier.

“Sir, would you mind if I used one of the school owls? I need to write to Remus,” he explained.

“Of course Sirius. I can imagine that he would appreciate knowing that it was not you behind the unfortunate events of last night. If you would like, I can even write a note for you to include containing proof that you are in fact telling the truth,” Dumbledore suggested.

“Thanks, that’d be great,” Sirius managed to force out before he yawned again as they approached the familiar doors to the hospital wing.

“Poppy,” Dumbledore called as they entered, “is it all right if Sirius takes young Harry? They will be spending the night at the castle.”

            “But Albus—” she started to say as Sirius walked over and sat on the bed where Harry was sleeping and cradled him in his arms.

            “Sirius is the boy’s godfather and will be taking care of him for now on, so unless there is a medical reason for Harry to remain in the Hospital Wing,” he trailed off, making the end a question.

            “No sir, however are you sure it is quite wise for Sirius Black of all people to take care of the boy?” she whispered.

            “I am quite sure of my decision Poppy. Now, if you would let Sirius take the boy, I am sure he would like to get some rest seeing as he has not slept for almost two nights,” Dumbledore explained, ending the subject.

            “Well I suppose. Mr. Black, you are free to take Harry. Just be careful,” she instructed.

            “Of course. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him,” Sirius replied, standing up and heading for the door. “Oh and I’ll be needing the password to Gryffindor Tower if I plan on getting in.”

            “Ah yes, it’s Treacle Tart, and here is your note to include in your letter to Mr. Lupin. Goodnight Sirius,” Dumbledore called, handing him a small piece of paper as Sirius walked out, still carrying Harry, with a nod and the slightest hint of a grin on his face.

            “Well, Prongslet,” Sirius murmured to a sleeping Harry as he walked to the tower, “I guess it’s just you and me now. But don’t worry. Uncle Padfoot is going to take care of you, and you may even get to see Uncle Moony tomorrow,” he managed to say before yawning hugely as he arrived at the portrait of the fat lady.

            “Password,” she requested.

            “Treacle Tart,” Sirius said before yawning once again causing the portrait to swing open and reveal the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

            It took him a bit to maneuver through the hole while securely holding Harry, but once he finally got inside, Sirius smiled softly as he looked around. Here was the place he first felt at home. Yes his friends were missing, but it was nice to be back. He could almost pretend that James and Remus were upstairs and that Peter had never betrayed them all.

            “Come on then Prongslet. You want to see where your dad, Uncle Moony, and I lived while we were in school?” he asked Harry, who was beginning to wake up, as he deftly climbed the boys’ staircase to the Marauders’ old dorm.

When they got there, Sirius managed to transfigure one of beds into a cot for Harry, laid him down, and finally coaxed him back to sleep. After he assured himself that Harry was definitely asleep, Sirius sat down at his old desk which he had barely used, pulled out some parchment and a self-inking quill from the pockets of his robes, and began to write.

Moony,

It wasn’t me. I swear. I convinced them to use Peter instead of me. I never thought that the prat would betray them, honest. I still can’t believe they’re… Yeah well, I have Harry now. Dumbledore’s had him checked over, and Poppy said he’s fine. Yeah, I’m at Hogwarts. Listen, mate, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I doubted you, and I’m sorry that until now you lost three of your best mates rather than just two. It’s still my fault for convincing them to switch to the little traitor, but at least you can know it wasn’t my actual doing. I’d never betray James and Lily. You know that. I just… I can’t believe it. I went to Godric’s Hollow and saw them Moony. I saw them, lying there not breathing or blinking or anything. It was awful… I’ll still be at Hogwarts tomorrow if you want to come talk or see Harry. I’m sure he’d love to see his Uncle Moony. I just don’t know what I’m going to do Moony… Harry’s my responsibility now and I don’t know what I’m going to tell him when he cries for his mummy and daddy. Anyways, I’ve put a note from Dumbledore with this to validate my claims. I hope you believe me anyways, and I hope to see you tomorrow, mate.

Padfoot

            After penning the last line, Sirius was about to pass out from sleep deprivation, but he wanted to get the letter sent. He knew Harry was safe here, but being unable to let him out of his sight, Sirius picked up the little boy, the letter, and Dumbledore’s note before heading to the owlery. When he arrived, dead on his feet, Sirius tied the letter and Dumbledore’s note to the leg of the nearest owl and told it to take the letter to Remus Lupin. He stood there for a moment, watching the owl disappear into the night sky before making his way back down the stairs and to Gryffindor Tower.

            When he went to lay Harry back down in his cot, the little boy began to stir.

            “Dada?” he gurgled.

            “No, Harry, It’s Uncle Padfoot,” Sirius whispered with tears forming in his eyes.

            “Pafoo?” Harry repeated.

            “Yeah, it’s Padfoot. Now go to sleep Prongslet. Night night,” Sirius said softly, stifling a yawn, and moments later, Harry nodded back to sleep.

            This prompted Sirius to seek the comfort of his own bed. He kicked off his shoes and burrowed underneath the blankets of his old four-poster bed before falling asleep almost immediately.

           


	2. Chapter 2

 

The next morning, Sirius woke up to the familiar sensation of sunlight streaming across his face indicating that he forgot, like he often did, to close the curtains around his four-poster bed. His first instinct was to glance over at Prong’s bed and see if he was awake yet. But when he turned to look, there was a cot in its place, and all the events of the previous days came rushing back. Things were not normal, and Sirius was not in his old dorm because he was still a Hogwarts student. As he looked at the cot, Sirius realised that something was amiss. The cot was empty, and as soon as he saw this, Sirius popped out of bed and whirled around, assuming a ninja-like pose when he saw a figure standing on the other side of the room.

            “And how exactly were you planning to rescue Harry from an intruder without your wand, Padfoot?” the person, who Sirius realised was Remus, asked with a chuckle.

            Sirius sighed in relief to find Harry safe in Remus’s arms before laughing and quickly crossing the room to hug his only friend left. “Moony, you’re here,” was all he managed to say.

            “I got your letter this morning and came straight away. I would have woken you as soon as I got here, but Dumbledore said you hadn’t had much sleep lately…” Remus trailed off, avoiding the subject that neither wanted to discuss.

            Before Sirius could respond, a little yawn followed by a garbled sigh came from Harry as his little eyes blinked open. “Mama?” he asked, causing tears to form in both men’s eyes as they watched little Harry search for the mother he would never see again.

            “No Prongslet, but guess what. Uncle Moony got here this morning,” Sirius said softly to the little baby.

            “Mooey! Pafoo!” little Harry cheered before declaring, “I hungy.”

            “Well then, why don’t we go down to the Great Hall and see what’s for lunch since the two of you slept through breakfast,” Remus suggested.

            “Down!” Harry demanded.

            “Not quite yet Prongslet. We’re at Hogwarts, where your Mama and Daddy and Uncle Moony and I went to school. There’s lots of stairs here and you don’t know your way around yet, so for now just let Uncle Moony carry you. Okay buddy?”

            “Kay Pafoo,” Harry responded.

            As they walked down the stairs to the common room—which was empty due to the students being at lunch—and climbed out the portrait hole, Harry was too engrossed in all the new sights around him to pay attention to what Remus and Sirius were saying.

            “Moony, how long do you think he’s going to keep asking for them?” Sirius whispered.

            “I don’t know, Padfoot. We’ll have to come up with some way to explain it to him for now, and as he gets older, we can tell him more. The most important thing though is to make sure he doesn’t ever forget them,” Remus whispered back, stopping once they reached the Great Hall.

            It was buzzing with students. Some were talking, some were studying, and everyone was eating. Despite the recent fall of Voldemort and the multitude of celebrations, normal life carried on at Hogwarts. It seemed wrong to both Sirius and Remus for everything to be so normal after the tragedy they were still dealing with, but they both knew that life would go on despite all that had happened. As a multitude of heads turned to stare at them as they lingered in the entryway, it struck Sirius as odd that the Marauders’ old dorm had been empty. Shouldn’t there have been students sleeping there? But then again, the Great Hall did look emptier than in his school days. Maybe a lot of parents pulled their kids out for the year, he pondered before disregarding the whole thing. There were more important matters at hand, and Sirius had never been one to think to hard about anything unnecessary.

            Dumbledore waved at them from the staff table, and after acknowledging him with a nod of the head from Sirius and a wave from Remus, they took Harry and found a seat at the Gryffindor table amongst some of the students they remembered from their time at Hogwarts. After enjoying delicious sandwiches and some applesauce and crackers that popped up on the table for Harry, Sirius hefted Harry into his arms headed towards the staff table along with Remus.

            Dumbledore got up and indicated that they should follow him before exiting through a side door. “Now, Mr. Lupin, I assume that you realise, if Mr. Black has not already told you, that he now has primary custody of Harry since he is the boy’s godfather,” he said as they headed towards his office.

            “Yes, I assumed as much,” Remus replied.

            “Well, since the two of you remain on good terms, I would suggest that you make a point of being a constant factor in Harry’s life as well. Not only will raising a young boy alone be difficult, but Harry could also use another close family member who can provide another often needed perspective,” Dumbledore said before stopping at the stone gargoyle that marked the entrance to his office. “Sherbet lemon,” he declared, causing it to rise up and a staircase to come into view.

            They all mounted the stairs, and Dumbledore transfigured some gadgets on a table into some blocks for Harry to play with while the men talked before taking a seat behind his desk.

            “Now Sirius, there are many things that we did not get around to discussing last night. First off, you both know that Harry has already become famous in these few days after the event, and if he grows up being constantly treated like a celebrity for something he cannot remember, it will likely turn his head. I am not saying that you must keep it from him because that will be quite impossible since he shall grown up in our world, however, you should strive to keep him grounded and level headed. Ensuring that he is familiar with aspects of muggle life should help with this. In fact, I think it would be beneficial if Harry attends a muggle primary school when he is old enough. Immersing him him in both worlds should help keep him from getting a big head.

“Now, about a house for you two, I know that you currently have a flat Sirius, but all of James and Lily’s things have been left to Harry, including the Potter Estate. As his legal guardian, you will have authority over his Gringotts account and inheritance until he comes of age. The two of you are quite welcome to live in the Potter Estate, and I recommend it since your current accommodations are not exactly fit for raising a child.

“This evening I will be going to the Ministry to look through the things that they were able to salvage from Godric’s Hollow, and I suggest that the two of you come. Hagrid can look after Harry, and you will be able to keep anything that might hold sentimental value. One last thing,” Dumbledore said, his speech coming to a close as he dug around for something under his desk and pulled out a shimmery silvery invisibility cloak, “I have this. I was borrowing it from James, and now it is Harry’s.” Dumbledore handed the cloak to Sirius, who clutched it to his chest.

“Thanks,” was the only response he could manage. The cloak reminded him too much of James and the Marauders and all their adventures.

“Would you like me to send some house elves over to the Potter Estate to clean the place up a bit before you take Harry?” Dumbledore inquired.

Sirius nodded and Remus replied for him, “That’s be great. Thank you sir. And don’t worry; I plan to stick around for a while. I’ll make sure Sirius isn’t too bad of an influence on little Harry,” Remus said with a chuckle.

“Well then, that’s settled,” Dumbledore declared with a smile. “You are free to remain at Hogwarts as long as you wish, and if either of you ever need anything, I am only an owl away.”

***

           

 

            Sirius and Remus spent the rest of the day wandering around the Hogwarts grounds and telling little Harry stories of some of their exploits before dropping him off with Hagrid so they could accompany Dumbledore to the Ministry. When they arrived, they were shown to a room with long tables with various items laid out neatly on every surface.

            “If there’s anything you want to keep, go ahead and take it,” Moody said to Sirius. “Technically it all belongs to little Harry now, and we’re done with what we need.”

            “Thanks,” Sirius muttered before slowly walking around the room, picking up objects, and either putting them in a bag Remus had the foresight to bring or setting them back down. Sirius couldn’t decide if seeing Lily and James’ things here in this clinical foreign location was easier or harder than it would have been to gather them from the wreckage.  Many things didn’t survive, and what did was mostly trivial. In the end, all Sirius saved was a bottle of Lily’s perfume, any pictures he could get his hands on, James’ old Quidditch robes from Hogwarts, a few articles of Harry’s clothes that were salvageable, Lily and James’ wedding rings, James’ broom, and Harry’s stuffed stag.

            “Remember when you and Wormtail and I gave this to him?” Sirius asked with a slight chuckle. “Lily thought it was hilarious.”

            “Yeah,” Remus sighed as he grabbed a few of Lily’s Beatles records that had survived and put them in the bag Sirius was holding.

            “Is that all you want?” asked Moody, who was standing with Dumbledore somberly by the door to the room.

            “Yeah, thanks,” Sirius answered quietly.

            “Hagrid is bringing Harry to Potter Mansion as week speak, and it has been thoroughly cleaned. Sirius, if it is not too much trouble, I ask that you keep me up to date on how things are going with Harry. It would make this old man feel better to know that he’s doing well.”

            “Sure. Thanks Professor,” Sirius replied before turning to Remus. “You ready to go?” he asked his friend. They had already decided that Remus would be staying with them at the Potter Estate for the first few weeks until everything was settled.

            “I’m ready. Goodbye Professor Dumbledore. And thank you,” Remus replied before turning to nod at Sirius, and the two disapperated.

            They appeared outside just as Hagrid landed the motorbike he had borrowed from Sirius. Sirius walked up to take Harry the second Hagrid dismounted.

            “Now yeh take good care o’ the little tyke. I’ve grown kinda attached to ‘im these pas’ few days, and I’d hate ter see anythin’ happen to ‘im,” Hagrid instructed.

            “Of course Hagrid. I’d never let anything happen to Harry. I will to do my absolute best to live up to what James and Lily expected of me when they asked me to be his godfather,” Sirius promised solemnly, clutching Harry to his chest a bit tighter.

            “Well, I guess I best be off. ‘Spect you’ll be wantin’ yer bike back, so I guess I’ll jus’—” Hagrid started to say before Sirius interrupted him.

            “No, you keep it Hagrid. I don’t really need it now that I’ve got Harry to take care of. I’m sure you’ll get more use out of it.”

            “But I couldn’ jus’ take yer bike,” Hagrid protested.

            “Then think of it as gift,” Sirius argued back. “I wouldn’t have Harry if you hadn’t let me come with you to Dumbledore. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you.”

            “I’d accept the offer while it still stands Hagrid,” Remus offered. “Sirius offering to part with his bike is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he chuckled.

            “Oh all righ’ then. I’ll keep it if yeh insist. Thanks,” Hagrid replied, with a smile showing through his bushy beard. “Well, I best be off now,” he told the boys as he mounted the bike again. “Take care.”

            “You too. Bye Hagrid,” Sirius said.

            “Bye,” Remus echoed, as Hagrid revved up the engine and took off into the sky.

            “Well Prongslet,” Sirius said to the sleeping little boy in his arms as he turned to face Potter Estate, “welcome to your new home.”

            “Are you sure you want me to stay?” Remus asked as they approached the front door.

            “Don’t be ridiculous Moony. Of course I do. In fact, I’d be fine if you wanted to stay here permanently. We could transform the place into the ultimate kid-friendly bachelor pad.”

            “No I couldn’t impose on you like that Sirius. I want to be able to support myself. Of course I’ll stay for a while until you and Harry get settled, but eventually I’m going back to my apartment.”

            “You wouldn’t be imposing Moony, but whatever. You just have to promise me that you’ll come by and hang out a lot. Harry needs his Uncle Moony, and I need my best friend. Also, don’t think that this gets you out of our monthly adventures. I’m sure Hagrid or someone else would be happy to babysit Harry for me one night a month.”

            Remus smiled at the caring undertone in Sirius’s seemingly lighthearted rant. “Okay, I promise. But for now, I say we should work on finding bedrooms, especially one for Harry, and redecorating to suit a one year old. “

            “Sounds good to me. Do you think we should let him have James’ old room? Mine is next to it, but Prongslet might want his dad’s room when he gets older, so making it into a nursery might not be the best idea…” Sirius mused as they climbed the stairs to the second floor where many of the bedrooms were located.

            “That’s probably a good plan. Why don’t we convert the guest bedroom on the other side of yours into the nursery, if you’re sure you want your old room,” Remus suggested.

            “Yeah I still want my room. The master bedroom still feels like Mr. and Mrs. Potter’s even though they’ve been gone for a while now. Wow, it’s going to be weird living in this house again. I haven’t been here since the summer before seventh year. I wonder if my room will look the same? I don’t think I ever took down all my pictures and Gryffindor stuff.”

            “Well let’s check,” Remus said, as he opened the door to Sirius’s old room.

            A few posters and pictures were gone from the walls, Sirius having taken them to Hogwarts and then to his apartment, but mostly it still looked the same: red walls covered in various pictures of the marauders, motorcycles and models from muggle magazines, a few Gryffindor banners, and a giant four poster bed with a gold quilt.

            “Just how I left it then. Perfect. Of course these pictures need a bit of editing,” Sirius muttered, a darker tone slipping into his voice, as he put Harry, who was still asleep, on the bed.

He reached to pull a picture of the Marauders smiling and laughing off the wall. Sirius then proceeded to tear off the left side where Peter was sitting so that the picture now just showed James, Sirius, and Remus, laughing and standing around the Hogwarts Lake. Then, pulling out his wand, Sirius applied a new sticking charm and returned the photo to its spot on the wall.

            “Care to help Moony?” he asked.

            “Gladly,” his friend responded, and the two spend the next few minutes tearing Peter out of Sirius’s pictures.

            It was both a cathartic and depressing activity. The boys were able to take out their anger at their old friend who had betrayed them, but the pictures also reminded them of how close the four of them used to be. The Marauders: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. The four of them were a package deal. It seemed wrong that only two of the four were left because after Peter’s betrayal, he was as good as dead to the two. A few pictures also showed Lily with the boys, and one even had their old friends Marlene and Dorcas, all of whom were dead now.

            Just as Sirius was about to stick the last picture back on his wall, Harry woke up and started crying. Since Remus was standing closer to the little boy, he picked him up and began to bounce him and pat his back.

            “Shhh Harry. It’s okay. What is it?” Remus asked. He quickly checked Harry’s diaper and found that it was not the problem. “Are you hungry Prongslet?” he asked, continuing to soothe the still crying baby. “Sirius, get a bottle,” he instructed.

            “Uh, do we have any formula Moony?” he asked, starting to panic.

            “I don’t know,” Remus replied, still failing to calm Harry, “go check the cabinets downstairs. Maybe the house elves Dumbledore sent stocked the kitchen. If there isn’t any, go to the store and buy some, fast. My wallet has some muggle money in it if you don’t have any.”

            “Be right back,” Sirius said, apparating to the kitchen, where thankfully, he did find some formula mix. After preparing it and heating it to the right temperature, he apparated back upstairs, trying to get to Harry as fast as possible.

            “Here!” he exclaimed, passing the bottle to Remus, who was now rocking Harry in an attempt to quiet his cries.

            He took the proffered bottle and attempted to feed Harry, but he wouldn’t take it. Every time Remus lowered the bottle to his mouth, Harry would turn his head or shove it away.

            “Come on Harry, are you not hungry?” Remus asked. “Here, you try,” he said, passing him to Sirius.

            Sirius too tried and failed to get Harry to drink his formula.

            “What is it Prongslet? Your diaper’s not dirty. You just took a nap. If you’re not hungry, what do you want?” Sirius asked, panic still coloring his tone.

            “Mama!” Harry began to scream amidst his cries. “Mama! Mama!”

            That one word brought tears to both men’s eyes.

            “You’re mama isn’t here Prongslet,” Sirius whispered. “If she could, she would come get you in a heartbeat. But she and your daddy are gone,” he gulped, choking back a sob. One crying baby was enough without Sirius breaking down too. “But I’m here,” he promised. “Uncle Padfoot is here, and I’m never going to let anything happen to you. I swear. I love you so much Harry, and your mama and daddy love you too. And your Uncle Moony too. He’s going to be staying with us for a while. It’s going to be okay,” Sirius continued to whisper soothing words to Harry until the baby cried himself to sleep. 

He nodded towards the door, and Remus followed Sirius into the guest room that would become Harry’s new nursery. Remus transfigured the bed into a crib of the same style, and Sirius placed Harry down inside before digging his stuffed stag out of the bag of James and Lily’s things he still carried, and placed it in the crib with his godson. The two men tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake the sleeping infant.

“What are we going to do?” Sirius asked Remus as soon as the door to Harry’s room was shut behind them.  “I could barely handle that. He’s never done that before when I babysat. It’s like he knows they’re gone. I just don’t know how much of that I can handle. Or how long he’s going to do it. “

“I don’t know Padfoot… I think what we just did is all we can do. Just hold him and tell him it’s okay. Maybe next time it happens we can try showing him pictures of them, but honestly that might just make it worse.”

“I just miss them so much Moony. Why did they have to die? It’s just not fair. And the fact that he betrayed them, I honestly can barely believe it,” Sirius choked out.

Remus squeezed Sirius in a hug before stepping back and leaving his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“I know,” he said. “I can’t believe it either. It’s hard, and it always will be. But it will get better. They knew this could happen, but they were fighting for a cause they believed in, something we were all fighting for. It’s awful that James and Lily of all people were some of the ones who had to pay the ultimate price, but at least the danger is over for now. Like Dumbledore said, I don’t think Voldemort is completely gone, but at least he’s severely weakened, and for a while, he won’t be a threat to Harry or anyone else.”

“You’re right Moony, as usual. Now,” Sirius said, taking a deep breath, “why don’t we head down to the kitchen and see if we can’t scrape some dinner together. I’m pretty sure I saw more than just formula down there.”

“That sounds like a great plan Padfoot,” Remus said, right as his stomach growled.

Sirius chuckled. “I knew you wouldn’t turn down food. You know, I think I might have even seen some chocolate,” he added as he turned towards the stairs.

Remus cast a quick sensory charm on Harry’s room so that they would know if he woke up before quickly following his friend down the stairs.

“Then what are we waiting for!”

           

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, now that you’ve read this, I just wanted to let you know that there will just be a few more chapters with baby and child Harry, and then I plan on jumping forward to his first year at Hogwarts. After all, things can’t be all sunshine and rainbows all the time. Voldemort has to come back eventually, and although Harry will have grown up differently, he is still the Chosen One and still has to face his destiny. This time he just gets an awesome support system (besides just Ron and Hermione) the whole way there!


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